Collapsible chair.



H. C. WILLIAMS. COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR. APPL1CAT|0N FILED JAN. 16, ms.

1 ,292,200. Patented Jan. 21, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET n1: mus mu: m. nmuvna, wuumaml. n

H. C. WILLIAMS. COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. 1918.

1,292,200. Patented Jan. 21, 19 19.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- HORTON C. WILLIAMS, 0]? BIG RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

COLLAPSIBLE CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 21, 1919.

Application filed January 16, 1918. Serial No. 212,000.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORTON C. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Big Rapids, in the county of Mecosta and State of Michigan,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Chairs,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible chairs and more particularly to achilds chair which may be employed in the nursery and also as a highchair.

Ordinarily childrens chairs which are designed for disposal upon anordinary chair in order that they may serve the purpose of a high chairembody means for connection with the back of an ordinary chair and asordinary chair backs are of varying hieights it is not infrequently thecase that the childs chair will be supported either too low or too high.Furthermore, when such a chair is attached to the back of an ordinarychair, there is likelihood of over-tilting of the ordinary chair orslipping 0f the childs chair from its engagement with the back withconsequent injury to the child. The present invention, therefore, has asone of its primary aims to provide a childs chair so constructed as toadapt the same to be disposed and securely fastened upon the seat'of anordinary chair so that whether applied to one chair or another it willbe supported at the proper height andalso, being disposed upon the seatof the ordinary chair instead of upon the back thereof, will be firmlyand securely supported and not liable to tilt or become otherwisedisplaced.

A further aim of the invention is to so construct the chair that thesame may be readily collapsed when not in use so as to occupy but littlespace, the chair being further so constructed that it will beautomatically collapsed as soon as the rear portion of the seat isslightly lifted, and on the other handit may be readily unfolded or setup merely by lifting upon the upper portion of the back rest. As aresult the chair of the present invention maybe conveniently manipulatedwhile the child is being held in the arms. I

v A further feature of the invention resides in the novel means providedfor securing the chair of the present invention upon the seat of anordinary chair so as to positively prevent displacement and at the sametime increase the locking force which serves to hold the chair in set upcondition and against collapse.

In the accompanying drawings:

Flgure 1 is a perspective view of the chair embodying the presentinvention in use as a high chair;

Fig. 2 is a similar view but illustrating the chair adapted for ordinaryuse;

Fig. 3 is a vertical front to rear sectional view through the chair inset up condition;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the chair folded;

Fig. 5 isa horizontal sectional view in detail on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

The chair embodying the present invention is supported by means of legframes, one indicated in general by the numeral 1 and the other by thenumeral 2, and each of these leg frames is preferably formed from anintegral length of bar metal bent to form spaced parallel side members 3and a transversely extending connecting bottom member 4 which extendsbetween the lower ends of the side members 3. At points adjacent thejuncture of the ends of the connecting members 4 with the lower ends ofthe side members 3, the said connecting member is bent so-as to form anupwardly or inwardly arched portion 5. Thus the intermediate portions ofthe connecting members 4. of the two leg frames will be spaced above thefloor surface or above the upper surface of the seat of an ordinarychair upon which the chair embodying the present invention is disposed,the rest portions of the leg members being the bends forming the saidarched portions and these bonds being preferably covered by means ofshort lengths of rubber tubing 6 fitted thereon and serving as pads toprevent scratching of any polished surface upon which the chair of theinvention may be disposed. As clearly shown inthe drawings, the legframes are assembled with their, side members 3 crossing each other andthe frames are pivotally .connected by means of the shanks 7 of eyemembers 8, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the eye members servingfor the connection of the ends of the strap which is to secure the chairin place upon the seat of anordinarv chair. This strap connectioncomprises a short length 9 which is connected with the loop or eye 8 atone side of the chair and which carries a buckle 10, and a longer strap11 which is adjustable at one end with the buckle 10 and which at itsother end is provided with a snap or other suitable fastening 12 forengagement with the eye member 8 at the other side of the chair, itbeing understood that in employing the strap connection, the strap 11 isto be passed beneath the seat of the ordinary chair upon which the chairof the invention is disposed and connected with-the buckle 10. as shownin Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The seat structure of the chair includes a nursery seat, indicated ingeneral by the numeral 13 and an auxiliary seat 1 1, and the seat, 13 isdisposed between the spaced parallel side members 15 of a seat frame,which frame is preferably formed from an integral length of bar metalbent to form the said side portions 15 and a connecting member 16 whichextends transversely between the rear v ends of the said side members15. Suitable securing elements, suchffor example as screws 17, arepassed through openings in the side member 15 of the seat frame and aresecured in the edges of the seat 13, the seat being in this mannersecurely mounted within the seat frame. The auxiliary seat 14 may behingedly or otherwisefconnected with the seat 13 and as will be observedby reference to Fig. '3 of the drawings, the rear edges of the twomembers of the seat are spaced forwardly from the connecting member 16of the seat frame so that the side members 15 of this frame extendrearwardly beyond the 'rear side of the seatf Intheir said rearwardly'extending portions, the side members 15 havetheir lower edges formedwith notches 18 designed to receive the end portions of a. rod 19 whichis secured at its v ends through the upper "ends of the side ment of therod 19 in the notches 18 serving to lock the chair in set up conditionand, therefore, prevent collapse of the same. a The rod 19, serves alsoto relatively bracethe upper ends of theside members of the said leg"frame 1. The upper ends of theside members 30f the-leg frame 2 arepivotally connected, as indicated by-the numeral 20,

with the seat 13 at the f orwardicorners H thereof.

, The back rest of thechairucomprises side, members 21 which arerelatively braced by means of cross ba1st22, the space between whichmaybe occupied by rods 23 or any other suitable elements afi'ording arest surface, and the lower ends of the side, incur. bers 21 of the backrest are pivotally con}. nected, as indicated by f the numeral, 24:, to

the ends of the rod 19. IVThe chair also includes two arm restspreferably formed from suitable lengths of bar metaland indicated ingeneral bythe numeral 25 and, each of these armtrests has .a downwardlyextending forward portion 26 t pivotallygjconnected as embodying thesame is designed for application to an ordinary chair by disposing thelower ends of its leg frames upon the upperf surface of the ordinarychair in the manner shown in Fig. 1v of the drawings and then tighteningthe strap 11. VVhen-sq secured in place the chair of the inventionwillbe:

effectually held against displacement and as the weight imposed upon theordinarychair is located directly above the seatinstead of; upon theback as has heretofore been; ous-,, tomary, there is no likelihood oftilting or,

overturning of the chair. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings itwillbe apparent that r in order to collapse the chair of the inventionit is only necessary to lift upwardly uponw,

, the connecting member'16 of the seat frame to disengage the walls ofthe notches 18 from ,the rod 19 whereupon the chair-will settle by itsown weight to collapsed. conditionin which condition it is clearlyillustrated in. N

Fig. 4 of thedrawings. ,On the other hand v when it is desired torestore the chair to set w u condition it 1s only necessary to grasp theupper side o f the back of the chair and lift upwardly thereon until therod 19 be comes engaged in the notches18 whereupon the chair will, belocked in its set up condition[ It will further be apparent-that inas- Imuch as the, securing straps 9' and 11 are members: 3 ofthe leg frame 1,the engage-v connected in effect to the pivots for the leg; frames,andwhen these straps are tightened, I

a downward pull is exerted upon the pivots.

tending to spread the upper ends of thelegw,

frames apart, this strain causes the rod 19 to seat more firmly and.securely, in theq. notches 18 so as to effectually preventtaccidentalcollapse of the chair. through any c slightjupward movement of the rearsideof r the seat, and it is preferable ,thatthe walls the rod 19 in thesaid notchesin the set up;

condition. of the chair.

Having thus described the invention, what.

is claimed as new is: v

1. In achair oftheclass described, leg

frames each having spaced side members, the

frames being pivotally connected with, their side members in crossedrelation,'.a seat to 1 the forward corners ofwhich theupper ends of oneleg frame are pivotally connected, arod extending between the upper endsof the other leg frame, spaced bars ri 'dly s ecu-redu to the sides ofthe seat and slidable over said rod and provided in their lower edgeswith notches to engage said rod, a back rest pivotally connected at itslower end to the upper ends of the last-mentioned leg frame, and armrests pivotally connected at their forward ends to the forward cornersof the seat and at their rear ends to the back rest above the pivotalconnection between the back rest and the leg frame.

2. In a chair of the class described, a seat, a leg frame pivotallyconnected at its upper portion to the forward portion of the seat, a legframe disposed in crossed relation to the first-mentioned leg frame andpivotally connected therewith, interlocking elements upon the upper endof the last-mentioned leg frame and the rear portion of the seat, a backrest pivotally connected at its lower end to the last-mentioned legframe, arm rests pivotally connected to the first-mentioned leg frameand to the back rest; and a securing strap having connection at its endswith the leg frames substantially at the pivots connecting the saidframes.

3. In a chair of the class described, crossed pivoted leg frames, asecuring strap having connection at its ends with the pivots for the legframes, a seat to the forward portion of which one leg frame ispivotally connected, the seat having a frame member extending beyond itsrear side and provided with notches, and a rod carried at the upper endof the other leg frame and engageable in said notches.

4. In a chair of the class described, crossed pivoted leg frames, asecuring strap having connection at its ends with the pivots for the legframes, a seat to the forward portion of which one leg frame ispivotally connected, the seat having a frame member extending beyond itsrear side and provided with notches, a rod carried at the upper end ofthe other leg frame and engageable in said notches, a back restpivotally connected at its lower end to the said rod, and arm restspivotally connected with the first-mentioned leg frame and with the saidback rest.

5. In a chair'of the class described, a seat frame including rigid sidemembers and a connecting rear portion, the side members being formed intheir lower edges with notches, a seat supported between the sidemembers of the said frame and having its rear edge spaced forwardly fromthe rear portion of the seat frame, leg frames disposed in crossedrelation and pivotally connected with each other, one leg frame beingpivotally connected at its upper end with the forward portion of theseat frame, and a rod carried by the upper end of the other leg frameand slidably supporting the seat frame and engageable in the saidnotches.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HORTON 'C. WILLIAMS. [1 s.]

copies o! the patent may be obtained for five cents each by oddreulngthe Commissioner of Patents,

Wuhinwton, D. 0.

